


Reflections

by Fujiwara_no_Seimei



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou
Genre: Jealousy, M/M, Mutual Masturbation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-17
Updated: 2012-03-17
Packaged: 2017-11-02 01:45:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/363636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fujiwara_no_Seimei/pseuds/Fujiwara_no_Seimei
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tanuma brings Natori up an awful lot in conversation.  This is especially noticeable when Natsume and Tanuma's conversations don't consist of many words at all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reflections

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Xaikra](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xaikra/gifts).



“That exorcist,” Tanuma said, turning a shogi tile over in his hand, “is he a friend of yours, Natsume?”

The question was sudden. It jarred Natsume a bit. The shogi board had long been cast aside, and for a good twenty minutes they had just been sitting, sipping tea, and admiring the reflections from the yokai-world pool on the walls and ceilings.  
It was a complicated question, so Natsume stalled.

“You mean Natori-san? The one with the lizard tattoo-- oh--”  
“Hmm?” Tanuma said, leaning up on his elbow. “Tattoo?”  
Natsume shook his head, thoroughly embarrassed. How could he be so inconsiderate?

“I’m sorry. He has a tattoo that is actually a yokai. I... I forget that not everyone can see it.”  
“Ah,” Tanuma replied.  
Natsume had always tried desperately to maintain Tanuma’s comfort when they were together. He didn’t want Tanuma to feel left out, but at the same time, he didn’t want him to get dragged in. He didn’t want to go through the bottle incident ever again. And yet, here he was, screwing up his one mission from the get-go...

“Where?” Tanuma asked suddenly.  
Natsume studied Tanuma, who was very carefully acting like he was looking at something in the yard. But his face was pink.  
“What?” Natsume asked. Stalling again, as it was obvious what Tanuma was asking.  
“The tattoo,” he clarified. “Where...is it?”  
Natsume suddenly felt guilty, but he wasn’t sure why. It’s not like the tattoo was exclusively in a private place, or anything. Although he had seen quite a bit of Natori at the hot spring. But that was neither here nor there, so why was he thinking about it?

Lucky for Natsume, Tanuma was well used to the long pauses in their conversations.

“It... it moves,” he finally replied. “I see it on his face and neck, so...”

_No, no,_ Natsume thought. _Why did you say “so?” No “so.” Thought over!_

“Ah,” Tanuma said quietly. 

Natsume decided that being overly interested in the yard was a good idea, after all.

\----  
“Touko-san and Shigeru-san will be away tomorrow night,” Natsume said the next morning. He and Tanuma were standing in the hall by the windows, in the place where they met to watch shadows dance on the school grounds. “They said I should have a friend over to keep me company while they’re gone.”

“Hmm?” Tanuma said. “Ponta isn’t reliable enough?”  
Natsume chuckled. “Of course not. He’s probably already drunk.” Composing himself, Natsume leaned over the windowsill, and turned his gaze to Tanuma. He didn’t expect Tanuma to be looking back.

Of course, Tanuma looked away as soon as he was caught, sighing loudly to cover up the embarrassment. But Natsume saw. Saw the way Tanuma looked at him. This wasn’t the first time.

It made something turn in Natsume’s stomach. It was worrisome.

Being loved was complicated. 

The bell rang, and students frantically shuffled to their rooms to sit before class began.

\-----

“No one invited you,” Natsume said as Nyanko-sensei curled up on futon.  
“What?” He hissed. “I live here. Shut up.”  
“Shouldn’t you be out drinking or something? Get out of my bed and go do something.”  
“You’re awfully impertinent tonight. Maybe I should eat you.”  
Natsume rolled his eyes. “Maybe you should.”  
Nyanko-sensei huffed. “Something always attacks you when I leave you alone. You’re too stupid to protect yourself, so I need to be here.”  
“What if I said I would buy you takoyaki tomorrow if you just went away for the night?” Natsume asked.  
“ _\--And manjuu._ ” Nyanko-sensei added.  
“Fine. Takoyaki _and_ manjuu. Now go.”  
“Is everything okay?” Tanuma asked, carefully peeking around Natsume’s bedroom door.  
“Great! Fine. Sensei was just leaving.”  
“Yeah, yeah,” Nyanko-sensei said, taking his time waddling away from his nice warm spot on the futon. 

Sensei hopped out of he window as Tanuma sat down on the futon laid out for him.  
“You had a nice bath?” Natsume asked.  
“Mmm, thank you,” he replied, scrubbing his hair with his towel.  
“Sorry I don’t have a shogi board or anything to entertain you with.”  
“That’s okay,” Tanuma said. “We can just talk. It’s getting late anyway.”  
Natsume smiled an affirmative smile, and stood up to turn off the light.

There was a conspicuous silence between them after Natsume lay down. Once they had finished rustling into their futons, rolling over, getting comfortable, that silence was nearly deafening.

“So--” They both said simultaneously.  
Then silence.  
“How long have you been friends with that guy? Natori-san?”

Natsume rolled over and looked at his friend. Natori again?  
“Ah... half a year, maybe. Maybe not even that long. Why?”  
Tanuma squirmed a little, keeping his eyes directed away from Natsume.

“Tanuma?” Natsume said, after a pointed silence.

“Do you see him a lot?”

Natsume rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He inhaled deeply. Steeled himself.  
Then he sat up, and crawled over to Tanuma’s futon.

“Natsume?” he asked, voice cracking.

But Natume said nothing, face flushed and movements stiff as he crawled in under the covers next to his friend.

Natsume could never accuse Tanuma of being jealous. He couldn’t possibly say anything that rude. He just clasped Tanuma’s hand between his own.

“Don’t worry about him,” Natsume finally said. He pressed his forehead against Tanuma’s shoulder. “He is a friend, and sometimes he asks for my help with sealing yokai. But that’s it. Otherwise...”

_Again_ with the hanging thoughts? Natsume huffed at himself.

Suddenly, Tanuma seemed to deflate... and with a sigh, tension dissipated from his frame.  
“I’m sorry,” he said.

A heavy pause filled the space between them again. They shuffled their hands, figuring out the best way to touch. Tanuma rolled over to face Natsume.

But they didn’t look at each other. Just traced the geography of one another’s hands with their fingers. Breathing deliberately and carefully.

Natsume wasn’t sure what came first. Was it him sliding his fingers up Tanuma’s forearm? Was it Tanuma slipping a hand over his hip? Maybe it was their ankles tangling together, or their lips meeting.

Maybe it happened all at once.

But however it happened, they had crashed together, hands and lips and legs, grabbing onto pajamas, pressing their bodies as close together as possible.

Tanuma’s mouth was possessive on his. It was open and commanding, and Natsume felt himself becoming consumed. Submitting to Tanuma’s kiss, Tanuma’s tongue. Tanuma rolled over onto him, pinning him down. His hands were firm on Natsume’s arms, and he whimpered into Tanuma’s mouth.

“Natsume...” he whispered, pressing his mouth against Natsume’s perfect neck.

Natsume felt his arousal hardening against Tanuma’s thigh. Tanuma did too, apparently, because his hands were immediately down Natsume’s pants. And with Tanuma’s hands occupied, his own were free to return the favor.

\-----

“I’m sorry if I was too forceful,” Tanuma said, stroking a light bruise on Natsume’s wrist with his fingertips.  
Natsume smiled. “As long as that’s the only thing you’re sorry for, it’s fine.”  
He lifted his wrist, catching Tanuma’s fingers in his on the way up. He brought Tanuma’s hand to his lips.

“If this is what happens...” he said between little kisses on those strong fingers, “I don’t think I’d mind if you got jealous more often.”

Tanuma moved his hand to trace Natsume’s lower lip with his index finger.

“Don’t go out of your way to test that theory, please,” he warned, a contented smile on the corner of his mouth.


End file.
